Her Beastie
by Irhaboggles
Summary: Maleficent calls Aurora "Beastie" so often that, sometimes, Aurora forgets that her name isn't actually Beastie. That makes moments when Maleficent DOES use Aurora's real name that much more effective. There's nothing like the good old Full (or in this case, First) Name weapon!
1. Her Beastie

"Hello, Beastie," the tears continued to slip down Maleficent's cheeks even though Aurora was awake again. Aurora smiled up at her with the softest, sweetest smile she had ever seen. For a moment, the two only basked in the warmth and love of one another's eyes before something like confusion flickered across Aurora's face. Maleficent saw it and felt worry instantly flicker within her chest.

"What's the matter?" she asked, reaching out to touch Aurora's face gently, comfortingly. It was not something Maleficent ever thought she would do with anyone, let alone a human, but comforting Aurora came so naturally that her subconscious seemed to know what to do even before she did.

"You called me… Beastie?" Aurora asked. Her voice was soft, but not weak. After Maleficent registered her question, her own face softened and the gentlest of laughs slipped past her lips. She had forgotten that Aurora had never heard that nickname before. In all the times Maleficent would use it, it would be behind Aurora's back. But in all the times that they were face to face, Maleficent had not really needed to address Aurora by any name at all. So Aurora had never heard Maleficent call her "Beastie" before.

"It's a long story," Maleficent said with a wet smile as she continued to stroke Aurora's cheek lovingly.

"Well then tell it to me, Godmother, please! I want to know," Aurora reached up to press her hand against Maleficent's and Maleficent felt her heart warm and brighten like the sun.

"I will," she promised. "Just as soon as we get back to the Moors…"

Although it took longer than expected, Aurora and Maleficent did eventually make it home. And even better, Maleficent had returned with her wings! Aurora, fittingly enough, had been the one to find, free and return them to their rightful owner and they, in turn, wound up saving Aurora. With her wings restored, Maleficent had found the power to save herself and Aurora from Stefan's maniacal rage and end him for good. Then once he was safely out of the way, Maleficent and Aurora had been free to return home, peacefully.

Several days later, then, Aurora finally got the story from Maleficent.

"Godmother?" she asked.

"Yes?" Maleficent replied.

"You never did tell me where my nickname came from."

"Ah. You are eager to hear the story aren't you?" Maleficent chuckled softly. Aurora nodded with a big smile. "Well, _Beastie_, I warn you that it is not a happy tale," Maleficent said. For a moment, Aurora looked worried, but when Maleficent only gave her a mischievous wink, Aurora felt some of her fears alleviate. In truth, she was very keen to know why Maleficent called her "Beastie", though she hoped that it was not because she had done something to upset the fairy in the past.

"Ah, nothing like that," Maleficent promised. "It really was more my fault than anything. I was being stubborn. And stupid," then she explained.

By the end of the tale, they were both laughing. Even though the name had originally been an insult, born of anger, bitterness and hatred, it eventually became a term of endearment, used in love, kindness and affection.

"I hope you do not take too much offense to it?" Maleficent asked, but even though she was laughing, Aurora could hear the insecurity in her voice.

"Of course not, Godmother," Aurora promised reassuringly. "I know I was not an easy child and I am sure my aunties would agree with you that I could be quite the little beastie at times," she paused to laugh as she remembered all the stress she'd put her three original caretakers through. Now that she was all grown up and out of their hair, though, they had all been on much friendlier terms.

"Besides," the young girl continued. "I know now that you use it as a term of endearment, a sign of affection. How can I argue with that?" she smiled charmingly up at Maleficent. "In fact," she added, "if you wouldn't mind, do you think you could perhaps call me that instead of Aurora?"

Maleficent found this request to be quite surprising and, just for a second, she had no idea how to reply, but then her face split into the biggest smile either of them had ever seen.

"Of course I will," she promised. "For that is what you are. You are my little Beastie. Even if your name is Aurora, you are my Beastie. Aurora was only the human name given to you by your birthparents, but Beastie is who you _are_. It is the name and title _I_ gave to you. Of course I will use it!" and from that day onward, Maleficent only ever called Aurora Beastie. Except on rare occasions…

"Beastie! Time to wake up!" Maleficent called out to her sleeping ward.

"Oh! Godmother, please! Five more minutes!" the girl moaned back. It was too early to be waking up!

"No," came the taunting reply. "You've got a kingdom to help me run. So get up, Sleeping Beauty!"

"But, Godmother!" for a few seconds more, this little banter continued until Maleficent finally lost her patience.

"Aurora! Get up this instant!" she snapped and Aurora hopped up faster than if she had been stung by a wasp. It wasn't the tone that had caught her off guard, though, it was the use of her birthname.

She was so used to being called "Beastie" that to hear the name "Aurora" felt dissonant and wrong, like someone playing a soft melody on the piano only to suddenly slam down on all of the keys all at once. In fact, there were days when Aurora even forgot that her name was Aurora! Of course, she always sort of knew in the back of her mind what her real name was, but because "Beastie" was what she heard most of all, anything else always came as a shock to hear.

"Coming, Godmother!" she mumbled hurriedly as she finally woke up, wiping the last of the sleep from her eyes.

"Good," came Maleficent's taunting croon. She tilted her head and smirked as Aurora stumbled out of her bed.

Then from that first incident on, Maleficent had found a secret weapon to use against Aurora: her birthname. Whenever the two got into a heated argument that they could not overcome calmly, or if Aurora was being needlessly and overly defiant, or if she just wasn't listening, then all Maleficent had to do was say her birthname and it would snap Aurora to attention faster than anything else. Magic didn't scare her, the wings didn't scare her, Maleficent's classic scowl didn't scare her. Nothing would get Aurora to listen… except her birthname. It was Maleficent's last resort and ultimate weapon and it worked every single time…

"-and then you have to-Beastie! Are you even paying attention!" Maleficent had been in the middle of instructing Aurora about what she had to do that day only to find the girl growing distracted by a nearby tree. She was crawling among the branches like a lizard.

"Yes, Godmother, I'm listening," she promised, but the absentminded tone said otherwise…

"Very well, then," Maleficent said, but it was clear she didn't believe Aurora at all. "Like I was saying, you will have to meet later today with some of the trolls that live near the southern side of the main river. They have been having issues amongst their little tribes and it would be good practice for you to mediate the issue and see if you can help them come to a peaceful agreement. Do you understand, Beastie?... Beastie?... Beastie?!"

Maleficent looked up to see Aurora halfway up the tree, clearly having not heard a single thing Maleficent had told her. Maleficent glowered up at her before growling to herself. She took flight from the ground and flew up until she was at eye-level with Aurora.

"I heard you, I heard you," Aurora said before Maleficent could speak. "You want me to speak with the trolls and help them solve their problems."

"Yes," Maleficent sighed, slightly frustrated that Beastie had been listening after all. "But I implore you to take this more seriously," she continued. "I know it may seem boring, but these sorts of things are important for your education-" but before she could continue, Aurora continued to climb.

"Just follow me, Godmother! We can talk and climb, or fly, at the same time!" Aurora said carelessly. Maleficent gave another soft growl before flying after Aurora, continuing to lecture her about the importance and value of a good education. Aurora, meanwhile, continued to only just barely listen. She was hearing what Maleficent was saying, but it wasn't _really _sinking in and that was what frustrated Maleficent.

"Aurora!" she finally cried, and the girl fell from her branch in surprise. But of course, Maleficent was there to catch her. As annoyed as Maleficent was with the wayward human girl, of course she would never be mad enough to let Aurora get hurt. Aurora, meanwhile, looked properly ashamed of herself, hearing her birthname instantly bringing her attention back to Maleficent. She clung to her godmother as they both floated carefully back down to the ground.

"Are you ready to listen now?" Maleficent asked as she set Aurora back down on the ground.

"Yes," came the shy reply.

"Good," Maleficent touched Aurora's shoulder gently to show her that she held no grudge against Aurora's disobedience. She was a teenage girl. No matter how good she was, it would be unfair to expect perfection or 100% obedience. Luckily, though, the rest of the day passed peacefully.

But the first-name weapon was always there whenever Maleficent really, really needed it. Though she tried not to overuse it. But the occasional "Aurora!" could prove beneficial, particularly in matters Maleficent was more… stubborn about. Like Prince Phillip.

"But Godmother! Phillip will only be here for a short while longer!" the human princess pleaded. Like she had said, Phillip was passing through and had set aside some time to visit her.

"Good. Tell him to hurry along. His presence is disturbing my mood!" came the dry retort from the dark fairy.

"Godmother!" Aurora pleaded. Maleficent's expression hardened, then.

"I know you like him and I know you want to see him, but you saw him only last week! Must you really be so quick to see him again?" she asked.

"Yes!" came the passionate reply, and then the two were off in their classic bickering.

Although, in the end, Aurora did win that fight and get Maleficent's permission to go visit Phillip, it didn't happen before Maleficent needed to use Aurora's real name to calm her down.

"Aurora!" she had snapped during one particularly heated moment in their argument, and just like magic (though it worked better than any spell Maleficent currently knew), Aurora shut up.

Maleficent couldn't help but be amused by the power Aurora's name held over her. There were a lot of myths concerning fairies and names, especially when they interacted, and the most common warned of the dangers of giving your real name to a fairy, because the real name meant that the fairy held power over the human in question. Although Maleficent wasn't sure how much of that legend was true, she could almost believe it when she watched how much sway she could hold over Aurora just by using the girl's birthname.

"It really is just like in the story," she mused to herself as she finally gave Aurora permission to go see Phillip. She wasn't happy about it, but Aurora had put up a good enough argument that Maleficent decided to be nice. Just this once.

But while Aurora went off to go see Phillip, Maleficent hung back to reflect upon their little argument, and the exact moment when Maleficent had been forced to use the first-name weapon. Aurora's face had temporarily filled with a violent terror. It was not a serious or lasting terror, but it had been amusingly abrupt. It was the terror of a child whose parent had just used their full name against them. It was the sort of terror Maleficent enjoyed seeing. Of course, it never brought her any joy to cause any sort of pain to her Beastie, but she couldn't deny how amusing it was to see how fast Aurora's mood could change just by hearing Maleficent say "Aurora" instead of "Beastie".

But at the end of the day, Aurora was and would always be Maleficent's little Beastie and that was the name Maleficent used to call Aurora the most. No matter what transpired between the two of them, Aurora was Maleficent's Beastie. That's just how it went. That was what 16 years of bonding would do to a woman and the young girl she had come to see as a child. _Her _child. Her Beastie… Forever and always.

**AN: tjynt, here's your mother-daughter fic where Maleficent uses Aurora's first name as a "weapon" if necessary. That was actually a cute and brilliant idea and I had a lot of fun writing it out. Hope you enjoyed!**


	2. Mother

"I know who you are," she had said.

"Do you?" Maleficent drawled back, challenging the foolish young girl and daring her to act unafraid for a single second longer. But the girl remained stalwart, nodding her head and giving Maleficent the biggest smile she'd seen on anyone's face in many, many years. Maybe her courage wasn't as fake as Maleficent had first thought…

"You're my fairy godmother!"

For a solid five seconds, there was only silence between them as Maleficent tried to wrap her horned head around what the young Princess Aurora had just called her. Of all the many names and titles Maleficent had acquired over the years and of all the many names and titles she had expected Aurora to come up with, "Fairy Godmother" was not one of them. It shook Maleficent to her very core and, for a brief moment, she wondered if she had even heard the girl correctly. Fairy Godmother? Had she lost her wits?! Maleficent couldn't think of what to say or do, so she remained there with a blank expression. Fairy Godmother? This couldn't be real…

But in the years to come, Maleficent would come to love that name above all others. Maybe it was the least expected, but it was definitely the sweetest to the ear. Nothing filled her with greater joy than to hear it. Nothing filled her with greater joy than to hear Aurora calling sweetly out to her, practically singing the name, _Godmother_! It was so wonderful to hear! Godmother! She was Aurora's godmother! That thought, coupled with hearing Aurora say it out loud as an almost constant reminder, brought Maleficent the greatest joy she had ever felt. No matter what sort of mood Maleficent was in, all she needed to hear was Aurora's voice, soft and sweet, calling out that beautiful name and suddenly, Maleficent would melt. Always, a smile would flicker across her face, unbidden, but that was what made it all the more beautiful. Then she would turn and respond with a little nickname _she'd_ made up for _Aurora_.

"Hello, Beastie." It was a beautiful thing, each woman having made a special name for the other that no one else could use. It was deeply symbolic of their own relationship, something that no one else could touch. And Maleficent was certain that her name from Aurora, (_Godmother_!), would forever be one of the most important and cherished things the girl had ever given to her. Nothing could ever top it! Or so she thought…

But five years after Maleficent and Aurora first started addressing one another with their special names for each other, something happened that led to an even greater, brighter and more beautiful exchange of names than had ever been before. It was no trivial thing, no small or passing matter. Instead, it had nearly taken a war to bring about the change, but when it finally happened, it was like watching a phoenix rise from the ashes, a dying bird coming back to life, rejuvenated in bright, golden flames.

"I know you!" Aurora had pleaded with Maleficent as the Dark Fairy closed in on the evil human queen named Ingrith.

"You do _not_!" Maleficent snarled back at the girl, seeing not a daughter or even a friend, but instead, a _traitor_, who had chosen humans over fairies.

"Yes I do!" Aurora replied, crying now. "You're my _mother_." And in that one single word, the entire world changed. Suddenly, all of Maleficent's rage and hatred was gone. It had just vanished. With one word, it was like a curse had been broken and she could finally see clearly again after spending so long blinded by bitterness and vengeance. _You're my mother… _And Maleficent had thought that nothing would ever top "Godmother"!

But just hearing that word, that one simple word, brought the dying fairy queen back to life. If Aurora's usage of the name "Godmother" would cause Maleficent to melt, Aurora's usage of the name "Mother" caused Maleficent to come back to life, rejuvenated and restored, mind and memory cleared once again. It reminded her of who she truly was underneath, exactly what Aurora had called her: Mother.

And not long after the end of the battle, Maleficent got to return the favor.

"Phillip!" she shouted out to the young man who had aided her in battle and was currently courting Aurora. "Do you love my _daughter_?" and she hadn't just been asking in order to test Phillip and see what his true answer would be. She had also asked just to find an excuse to call Aurora her daughter. She had always known that Aurora was such, but it was high time that she got to say it out loud for the entire world to hear! And finally getting to say it for all to hear, including Aurora, felt even better than the day Aurora had returned Maleficent's wings to her. Getting to call Aurora her daughter and hearing Aurora call her Mother brought Maleficent higher than her wings ever could.

And from that day on, Godmother and Beastie were no more. Those names, though beautiful and powerful, were outdated now. It was time for a change, a growth, a _transformation_. Now, they were Mother and Daughter, just as it always should've been and finally was becoming and _that, _Maleficent was certain of, was the greatest title of all. _Mother!_ She was Aurora's mother! Yes, most definitely, she was! She was Aurora's mother! _Mother!_

(And now, whenever Aurora would come to visit the Moors, she would call Maleficent "Mother" and it would make the Dark Fairy feel just as alive and complete as it had the very first time Aurora had ever said it, calling out to her in her darkest hour and bringing her back to life once again, just like a phoenix rising from the ashes to brighter and better future).

**AN: Here you go, marycamp, your second chapter where Maleficent gets to muse on her own nickname.**


End file.
